Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

Federal BBC a ‘win-win’ for viewers

Call for BBC Scotland to be empowered to better reflect needs of audiences

A federal BBC that gives full commissioning and decision-making powers to BBC Scotland, would be a ‘win-win’ for viewers in Scotland and across the UK, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop (pictured below) said today.

Speaking ahead of the Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee, at which the Cabinet Secretary and the Director General of the BBC Lord Tony Hall will give evidence on the current BBC Charter renewal process today, Ms Hyslop said: “It’s time for BBC Scotland to be empowered and resourced to be bold and creative for Scotland.

“A federal structure would empower the BBC to better reflect the needs of the nations and regions it serves, giving BBC Scotland full control over decision making in terms of how revenue raised here is spent.

“Full control over commissioning and editorial decisions would have an enormously positive impact. It would enable BBC Scotland to take a long-term, strategic approach to delivering sustainable, high quality programming that benefits audiences, the global market and the creative sector. This would be a win-win for viewers both in Scotland and across the rest of the UK.

“I am keen to work with the BBC to achieve this both within and outwith the Charter Renewal process, because there is much that the BBC can do outside of Charter Renewal to improve its service to the people of Scotland.

“We have worked hard with stakeholders from across Scotland to understand the issues and to develop a position that we believe has strong support.

“This is about ensuring the BBC’s long-term future in a way that benefits both the BBC and Scotland. The future BBC must think about Scotland in a different way if it is to meet the needs of the UK’s nations and regions to ensure that public service broadcasting remains a vital part of our social, democratic, cultural and economic life.”

Ms Hyslop was due to answer questions and present the Scottish Government’s views on BBC Charter renewal during the second panel of the evidence session, which took place today.

Ms Hyslop set out her proposals for a new federal structure for the BBC at a stakeholder event in September. Her speech is available CLICK HERE

THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).